A few weeks ago, I sat on the balcony and talked on the phone to a dear friend in another country for well over an hour. Meanwhile, the pot of water on the stove that I was heating to make more kombucha evaporated into the air until my husband came home and heard strange crackling noises from the kitchen. Maybe it was pregnancy brain or my complete focus on the heart-to-heart phone call, but my husband definitely saved the day. The whole kitchen was hot and the pan looked a little splotchy on the bottom but other than that, all was okay.
My phone friend, who is also pregnant right now, and I were bonding over the fact that both of us were a total mess two weeks prior to this one. She said she cried every day and I had to second that.
I remember that week well. I was utterly exhausted and my productivity-oriented self was not acknowledging the reality that I needed to slow down. Almost every day after online language class, I would shut the computer and burst into tears. By the end of the week, my husband just knew that I needed to cry on his shoulder after class so he would open the door to our bedroom and comfort me with open arms.
Remember to give yourself in the messiness of life. We are not the Savior but we have a Savior who has already done it all for us. He is with us through it all. We don’t have to prove anything or win the approval of others.
Maybe we just need to slow down, take a nap, and be still for a while.
Maybe we need to breathe, listen to the birds, or sit in the sun.
Maybe we need to listen to the Word wash over us with Truth.
For me, it has been
Psalm 23 (CSB)-– The Good Shepherd. A psalm of David.
1 “The Lord is my shepherd;
I have what I need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
he leads me along the right paths[a]
for his name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,[b]
I fear no danger,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in[c] the house of the Lord
as long as I live.[d]“